Policy Development Officer P&R

City of Toronto • Union, NJ

2d • Onsite

About The Position

Toronto Parks and Recreation (P&R) provides exceptional services that contribute to the quality of life of all Torontonians. We envision a vibrant city with safe, welcoming and well-maintained parks and trails, along with high-quality recreation facilities, programs and services that support diverse needs, active lifestyles and healthy communities. The Policy and Strategic Planning (PSP) Branch serves as Parks and Recreation's centre of excellence for policy development, strategic planning, community engagement, research and evaluation. PSP supports informed decision-making by leading complex policy and planning initiatives, conducting research and analysis, developing engagement approaches, and advancing divisional, corporate and Council priorities. As a successful Policy Development Officer, reporting to the Manager, Policy Development in the Policy and Strategic Planning Branch of Parks and Recreation, you thrive in complexity. You can research and analyze emerging issues, develop evidence-based recommendations, build alignment among diverse stakeholders and lead projects from concept through implementation. You are curious, an effective communicator and a strong relationship builder, and you bring sound judgement, diplomacy and political acuity to your work.

Requirements

• Post-secondary education in a related discipline (e.g. social sciences, urban design/planning, public policy/public administration) or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Extensive project management experience, stewarding complex initiatives from inception through to implementation with minimal direction while balancing political, community and other stakeholder interests, and resolving conflicts.
• Considerable experience in strategy development and policy design, ability to advance knowledge translation between research, policy and operations.
• Considerable experience using evidence to support policy development.
• Exceptional problem-solving abilities; proven ability to generate creative solutions to complex operational, policy and evaluation problems.
• Exceptional leadership, negotiation and collaboration skills and the ability to coach and influence without direct authority.
• Strong knowledge of some or all of the following: equity, diversity and inclusion issues; anti- racism and anti-oppression; reconciliation; environmental resilience and sustainability; community development; recreation service system planning; parks design or planning.
• Ability to work independently and under pressure to meet deadlines.
• Ability to articulate insights and present information spoken, visual, and written across all levels of management.
• Political acuity with an exceptional ability to handle sensitive and confidential situations with diplomacy.

Responsibilities

• Develops and delivers system-level and evidence-based policies, procedures, and projects for P&R Division in alignment with corporate and divisional priorities assessing risks, implications, trade-offs and feasibility.
• Prepare high-quality Council reports, briefing notes, policy reports, recommendations and other decision-support materials.
• Monitors other orders of government and non-government organizations, academic and research bodies and local communities to ensure ongoing awareness of existing and evolving issues and concerns related to the needs of Toronto's residents and PR strategic objectives.
• Conduct jurisdictional scans, environmental scans and best-practice reviews to identify opportunities, risks and emerging approaches that inform policy development and decision-making.
• Develop outcomes, targets, performance measures and evaluation approaches to support evidence-based decision-making and continuous improvement.
• Analyze legislation, government policy and municipal decision-making processes to identify policy considerations, opportunities and impacts for the Division.
• Apply reconciliation, equity, anti-racism and anti-oppression principles to policy development, engagement and decision-making.
• Convenes and leads multi-stakeholder teams, often without direct authority, to successfully complete and deliver complex research, analysis, consultation and policy development products, using effective negotiation, collaboration, coaching and influencing skills.
• Leads complex projects from conception through implementation, ensuring strategic alignment and successful delivery.
• Establishes project objectives, scope, deliverables, timelines and evaluation approaches.
• Develops implementation plans, operational guidance, evaluation approaches and continuous improvement processes that support effective delivery throughout the project lifecycle.
• Identifies operational, policy, program and resource gaps and develop practical solutions to address them.
• Manages a diverse portfolio of policy files, balancing competing priorities and working independently on complex assignments while exercising sound judgement in a fast-paced and politically sensitive environment.
• Stewards, leads or coordinates PR's role in strategic corporate initiatives.
• Partners with other divisions to expand opportunities and interdivisional efforts that impact PR.
• Cultivates strong relationships and represent the Division by providing policy expertise at project, consultation and partnership meetings across the City of Toronto, ensuring policy development is informed by stakeholder perspectives and community needs.
• Builds alignment among stakeholders with diverse interests, priorities and perspectives.
• Designs and leads engagement, consultation and collaboration processes that inform policy and program development.
• Communicates complex information clearly, concisely and appropriately for different audiences.
• Prepares accurate, high-quality presentations, correspondence, reports and communication materials tailored to senior leaders, decision-makers and stakeholders.
• Presents analysis, recommendations and options in a manner that supports informed decision-making.
• Demonstrates strong political acuity and the ability to navigate sensitive, complex and high-profile issues.
• Handles confidential and sensitive information with professionalism, diplomacy and discretion.

Benefits

• The City is an equal opportunity employer, dedicated to creating a workplace culture of inclusiveness that reflects the diverse residents that we serve.
• The City of Toronto is committed to creating an accessible and inclusive organization.
• We are committed to providing barrier-free and accessible employment practices in compliance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA).
• Should you require Code-protected accommodation through any stage of the recruitment process, please make them known when contacted and we will work with you to meet your needs.
• Disability-related accommodation during the application process is available upon request.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: Associate degree